HuMed with David Spiro, MD

About HuMed with David Spiro, MD

HuMed goes beyond diagnoses and procedures to explore the profound human experiences of medical professionals. Join Dr. Spiro as he engages in deep, candid conversations with fellow doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. They share the often-unseen realities of their work in the demanding hospital environment – the challenging cases, the emotional toll, and the ethical dilemmas they navigate daily.

Publisher

David Spiro, MD | Doctor Podcast Network

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jun 2025

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

70 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Longevity Physician Dr. Vassily Eliopoulos: "He Looked Exactly Like Me"

   After years in emergency medicine, Dr. Vassily Eliopoulos (Dr. Vass) coded a man in a rural Wyoming ER who was his age, had no other risk factors, and looked exactly like him. That night pushed him from the ER toward longevity medicine and cardiovascular prevention. In this episode of HuMed, pediatric ER physician Dr. David Spiro talks with Dr. Vass about why doctors neglect their own health, the "golden handcuffs" that kept him stuck, how therapy and CBT-I helped him heal from years of night shifts, and why he believes disease care and true health care are two different systems. He also walks through his longevity pyramid, built on community, purpose and sleep, not supplements and saunas. CHAPTERS 0:00 He coded a man who looked exactly like him 0:28 Meet Dr. Vass: ER doctor turned longevity physician 2:05 The code in Rock Springs, Wyoming 4:48 Why doctors neglect their own health 8:13 The lost art of healing 11:03 "We're training technicians, not physicians" 15:07 Trapped in a broken system 18:18 The golden handcuffs 20:44 Healing from decades of night shifts 28:30 Disease care vs. true health care 35:37 Why no one told Dr. James Wittig he was sick 39:04 Advice to his younger self: don't let fear decide 42:32 Dr. Vass's longevity pyramid 44:55 What dying patients talk about 47:51 Purpose: the old dog and the rabbit 51:21 A quarterly "board meeting" with his kids 53:16 Fasting, thermal springs and community 57:54 Closing thoughts Watch the full video on YouTube: HuMed with David Spiro, MD Follow HuMed on Instagram: @humedpod humedpod.com HuMed unveils the human side of medicine through real stories from physicians. This episode is for education and storytelling, not individual medical advice.

2. 

   17 Oct 2026

   Lifestyle Medicine Physician Dr. Melissa Mondala: "I Did Healing for Myself First"

   "I did healing for myself first, so I could become a better healer." Before Dr. Melissa Mondala treated patients with lifestyle medicine, she needed it herself. She lived with IBS and reflux from her teens, and during her training at Loma Linda she was diagnosed with an atypical breast cancer. Changing how she ate, moved, slept and handled stress changed her health, and her husband's, and it reshaped how she practices medicine. On this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro talks with Dr. Mondala, a double-boarded family and lifestyle medicine physician, fellowship-trained in integrative psychiatry and integrative medicine, about the patients who shaped her: a young single mother of three with pancreatic cancer who kept running for her kids, and a fashion designer with an autoimmune disease who got her life back layer by layer. They also discuss: Lifestyle medicine vs. integrative medicine, and where they overlap Why ferritin matters even when hemoglobin looks normal Her approach to adult behavior change: one habit, SMART goals and habit stacking What medical training leaves out about nutrition and sleep Advice for frustrated, burned-out physicians who feel stuck practicing reactive medicine Dr. Mondala earned her MD at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. She is co-founder of the Doctor Lifestyle Clinic, a direct care practice, and author of Embody Lifestyle Medicine: How to Build a Successful Direct Care Startup. HuMed unveils the human side of medicine through honest conversations with physicians. Follow the show so you never miss an episode. Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:22 Introducing Dr. Melissa Mondala 02:25 Her own health story: IBS, reflux and food as poison 04:21 Loma Linda and the Blue Zones 05:30 A breast cancer diagnosis during training 07:00 The pillars of lifestyle medicine and her husband's autoimmune disease 08:49 The young mother with pancreatic cancer 13:53 Lifestyle medicine vs. integrative medicine 18:50 A patient with autoimmune disease and a difficult cycle 27:36 Why ferritin matters 31:45 What standard medical training leaves out 36:48 Night shifts, sleep and processed food 40:09 How to change adult behavior 44:12 Accountability, SMART goals and habit stacking 47:05 Lifestyle medicine and autism spectrum disorder 50:54 Advice for frustrated, burned-out physicians 53:31 Closing

3. 

   13 Oct 2026

   ER Physician Dr. Rick Pescatore: "Nobody Could Solve Her Mystery Illness"

   Dr. Rick Pescatore was driving to Pittsburgh with a woman he had met on Hinge, describing a kind of patient he sees every ER shift: pain, nausea, vomiting, and tests that all come back normal. She said the person he was describing "sounds exactly like my mom." A few weeks later her mother was dying in an ICU, and nobody could solve her mystery illness. The missing piece turned out to be vitamin B1 (thiamine). The woman from that drive is now his wife, Katie. Dr. Pescatore is a board-certified emergency physician. He went through the U.S. Naval Academy, studied aerospace engineering, and served in the Navy's submarine force before medical school. He trained at Cooper University Hospital, served as Delaware's chief physician during the COVID-19 pandemic, is editor-in-chief of Emergency Medicine News, still works shifts in a community ER, and co-founded Belly MD. In this conversation with Dr. David Spiro, he talks about helping diagnose his future mother-in-law, why so many ER patients are told they are normal when their lives are not, and how that pattern helped burn him out of full-time emergency medicine. They also get into what night shifts cost physicians, his Navy call sign, his time leading Delaware's pandemic response, and why an ER doctor who used to roll his eyes at supplements now sells them. In this episode: – The drive to Pittsburgh: "sounds exactly like my mom" – An ICU stay nobody could explain, and the vitamin B1 answer – "We tell them that they're normal, but their lives aren't" – Disorders of gut-brain interaction and the ER – Why he calls GLP-1 drugs some of the most revolutionary in history – Burning out of emergency medicine, and the night-shift toll at every age – F-18s, submarines, and the call sign "Aquaman" – Chief physician for Delaware during COVID-19 – An ER doctor selling supplements: his answer to the eye-rolls Chapters (00:00) Cold Open: "Met a Girl on Hinge" (01:05) Welcome & Meet Dr. Rick Pescatore (03:16) The Drive to Pittsburgh: "Sounds Exactly Like My Mom" (04:30) Decades of Symptoms, Then the ICU (06:19) Vitamin B1 and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (07:03) "We Tell Them That They're Normal" (08:12) Saving Her Mom's Life With a Vitamin (10:03) Belly Pain: What the ER Can't Fix (11:27) Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (13:09) Should Emergency Medicine Change? (14:21) Diet and the American Food System (16:47) Sulfite Preservatives and Vitamin B1 (19:31) GLP-1s, Falls, and the Toenail Question (22:50) The Naval Academy, F-18s, and the Call Sign "Aquaman" (27:24) "I Burned Out of Emergency Medicine" (29:26) The 3 a.m. Problem: Night Shifts and Physician Health (30:40) Dr. Spiro on Night-Shift Anxiety (33:04) Chief Physician for Delaware During COVID-19 (35:57) Building Belly MD (40:33) Supplements: "I Used to Be That Guy" (44:12) An ER Doctor Selling Supplements? (45:43) Testing for Vitamin Deficiencies (47:47) Closing Learn more about Dr. Pescatore's work: bellymd.com Check out the Inside HuMed Newsletter: https://www.humedpod.com/inside-humed (https://www.humedpod.com/inside-humed) This episode is one physician's personal story and is not medical advice. Dr. Pescatore co-founded Belly MD, which sells supplements, as he discusses in the episode. If this episode meant something to you, follow HuMed on Apple Podcasts and send it to one colleague who needs to hear it.

Who has been a guest on HuMed with David Spiro, MD

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jonathan Williams
• Dr Pele Yu
• Dr Abby Nolder
• Dr David Peltzer

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,038

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.2 / 5

17 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

26

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

32

Contact HuMed with David Spiro, MD

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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